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ISDL’S?’RIdL d J - D E’SGIiY‘EERISG CHEMISTRY
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AMERICAN CONTEMPORARIES Frank Austin Gooch
he enjoyed from time to time association with Dr. Rafael Pumpelly, the renowned geologist and explorer, and he often turns F IT be true, as some claim, that the general atmosphere of with great pleasure to the recital of a variety of experiences Boston is one of cultured manners, no better illustration of connected with field and laboratory work. It was also during these years that much important work the influence of such a n atmosphere could be selected than wxs done, such as the analysis of the waters the subject or this sketch., No one who has of Yellowstone Park and the invention of ever come in contact with Professor Gooch the perforated platinum crucible for filtracan fail to carry away the impression that tion. The latter alone has made his name he has met a man of peculiar charm of manfamiliar wherever careful analytical work ner. Born in Watertown, Mass., of parents is attempted. Shortly after the first debelonging to families connected bith the scription of this almost indispensable analytearly history of the country and representical device appeared, a well-known chemist ing the highest type of culture, his early life said in an address: “The Gooch crucible was spent in the vicinity of Boston. His is to modern analytical chemistry what the father was a prominent lumber merchant needle gun is to modern warfare.” This in Cambridge, and a t one time chief assesencomium was doubtless more adequate a t sor of that town. His mother was R memthe time it was uttered than it would be ber of the Coolidge family. today, when the needle gun has been surHe entered Harvard a t the age of sixteen passed by many other inventions, while the and was graduated with the class of 1872. crucible still holds its place among necessary His early inclination was toward niediequipment. cine, but upon graduation, and until 1875, In selecting Dr Gooch for a position a t he carried on chemical and mineralogical Yale the authorities chose wisely and well, studies a t Harvard, and a t the same time for he combines the good qualities of adacted as assistant to Prof. Josiah P. Cooke, FRANK A GOOCH ministrator. teacher. and director of rewho was famous in his day as an experimental lecturer. Doubtless Professor Gooch’s skill in manip- search. During a period of over thirty years, for he did not take even a week off during. term time, until his retirement in ulation and his clearness in description of chemical phenomena, 1918, he was a t his post. so characteristic of his later work as a teacher, had their origin No man could have a more loyal group of followers than those in this early training. who have worked with Professor Gooch. His sympathy and During the years 1875-6, spent mainly in Vienna, he continued his studies along mineralogical and crystallographic lines a t liberality are such that a conference with him always resulted in helpful suggestions and in a n adequate supply of material the Imperial Museum, and his fund of reminiscences of that for work when special material was needed. A request for a period goes to show that he had the most delightful association gram generally resulted in a supply of ten grams. As for crude with the director and others in authority there. Upon his return chemicals, they were an abomination to him, and his associates he received the degree of Ph.D. from Harvard. could hardly persuade him to order them for any kind of work. He often speaks of the two years which followed, when he Despite this policy there was on hand a t the end of his adminheld the position of private assistant to Dr. Wolcott Gibbs, as of special value to him, and frequently quotes a common expres- istration a considerable balance in money to the laboratory’s credit, and a supply of chemicals, some of them unusual, which sion of that renowned chemist, famous in inorganic and analytical in view of the immediately following post-war scarcity reminds research, to the effect that “there is practically nothing which one of Joseph’s store of corn laid up against the Egyptian famine. cannot be accomplished by patience and caustic potash.” I t was probably during this period that Dr. Gooch developed Loyalty to his friends and associates marked Professor Gooch’s. years of university activity, as all who have worked with him patience ana skill and his love for analytical chemistry. To will testify. him chemical analysis has never been what many, profoundly Conservative by nature, he keeps fully informed of the progignorant of the subject, have considered it, blind following of ress of chemical science, but does not without careful considerdirections, or “cook-book chemistry,” a term which has been ation turn to newly propounded theories. He has always inresponsible for much neglect of this great fundamental branch sisted upon the importance of comprehensive study of chemical of chemistry. Er. Gooch’s mind, stored with a wealth of observed chemical phenomena, finds the greatest joy in devising phenomena along the lines of descriptive chemistry. His retiring disposition has kept him from gatherings of chemists where new analytical processes and in overcoming the difficulties which his presence would have been much appreciated. to many a chemist have seemed t o make an analytical procedure His loyalty t o local journals has resulted in giving his pubuseless. lished work and possibly that of his students less publicity than For ten years following his apprenticeship with Dr. Gibbs, might have resulted had these papers appeared in the more his work gave him ample scope for the perfection of his technic widely circulated chemical journals. He finds great pleasure in his chosen field. Analytical work in connektion with the United States Tenth Census, 1879-1881, the North Trans- and relaxation in the reading of good fiction and in genealogical continental Survey, 1881-1884, and the United States Geological research. A recent statement in a prominent New York newspaper to the effect that chemists are as a class fond of cats may Survey, 1884-1886, contributed n.uch in the way of preparation be disputed, but certainly the feline race has no better friend, for his work a t Yale, which really began with the completion of than Dr. Gooch, nor one more convinced of its intelligence. the Kent Laboratory in 1887. It was during this period that
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I N D U S T R I A L A N D EiLTGINEERING CHEiMIS T RY
October, 1923
His former pupils always love to call on him when in New Haven and talk over their laboratory days and discuss their current problems. His fund of reminiscence is rich, as is also
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his collection of good stories, and we all enjoy them both, for together with his keen analytical mind he has a rare sense of humor. PHILIP E. BROWNING
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE Shortening-Its Definition and Measurement Editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: The writer has made shortening measurements with the short3, 79 (1921)] for the last six years and ometer ITHISJOURNAL, has only recently checked up these measurements, and in no case can he substantiate the conclusions made in the article by Platt JOURNAL, 15,390 (1923)], entitled “The Action and Fleming [THIS of Shortening in the Light of the Newer Theories of Surface Phenomena.” The following series of all shortening measurements is a fair evaluation of the various fats and oils: Lard, which has the greatest shortening power, naturally comes first. Compounds rank next, and they have about the same shortening power if they are made by adding oil to animal stearin or to vegetable stearin-namely, hydrogenated vegetable oil. Butter fat follows next in order. The oils cottonseed, peanut, olive, rapeseed, soy bean, and corn, all have approximately the same shortening value, which is about three-fourths of the value of ordinary lard. Coconut oil is somewhat lower than the previous group of oils and has about two-thirds of the value of lard. Coconut oil if broken up into olein and stearin fractions shows a value higher than whole coconut oil for stearin, and lower for olein. The iodine number of the whole oil is about 9, t h a t of the stearin about 4 or 5 , and that of the olein about 16 or 18. It is evident in this case that the fat with the higher iodine number has the least shortening value. A liquid paraffin oil with an iodine number of 0.4 has a shortening value very close to that of coconut oil. A sample of white vaseline had a shortening value fully as good as the ordinary oils, or 75 per cent of that of lard.
A little difficulty is experienced in using liquid paraffin oil in baking because the high temperature of baking causes the oil to smoke appreciably and loss is thereby experienced. The writer has very definitely shown in his original article that hydrogenation of a n oil increases its shortening value. The iodine number is very materially decreased; yet the shortening value has increased, which is also a t variance with their theory. All the figures available on the shortening value of oils and fats show no definite relationship between shortening value and iodine number. CLARKE E. DAVIS NATIOXAI. BISCUITCOMPANY N E W Y O R X , N. Y. J u n e 2 2 . 1923
Editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: This criticism seems to be based upon a misunderstanding of the article by Platt and Fleming. For example, Davis says: 9ll the figures available on the shortening value of oils and fats show no definite relationship between shortening value and iodine number. In this statement we can entirely agree with him, for our article states : The iodine number as such cannot be taken as an indication of the shortening power from this point of view, since glycerides
of linoleic acid containing two double bonds (Iodine No. 173) do. not cover any greater surface than glycerides of oleic acid containing but one double bond per molecule (Iodine No. 86). For this reason, other factors being equal, shortenings should be arranged in the order of their percentage oE unsaturated glycerides. Once it is clearly understood that it is the percentage of unsaturated glycerides and not the iodine number that must be considered, it is seen that Davis’ shortening values fit in weir with the theory which we have advanced. Considering first oils only, we find that cottonseed, peanut, olive, rape seed, soy bean, and corn oils, all consist principally of unsaturated glycerides with a small percentage of saturated glycerides which varies with different samples of the same oil. We are not surprised, therefore, a t Davis’ statement that they “all have approximately the same shortening value.” Coconut oil, which has a noticeably smaller proportion of unsaturated glycerides, has noticeably less shortening power, while liquid paraffin, with the smallest proportion of unsaturated compounds, is properly a t the bottom of the list of oils in shortening power. We would invite attention also t o specific statements in our paper to the effect that many factors influence shortening power. We state: Many factors are involved in the action of shortening.* * * It is evident t h a t no one property can possibly explain the whole action of shortenings. * * *Viscosity evidently plays a part. * * * The melting point is also a factor. * * * A somewhat related quality is plasticity.* * *A fat that will remain plastic throughout the mixing has much greater shortening power than one that is either solid or liquid.
It would seem t o be self-evident that these factors would have to be considered in arriving a t the shortening power of fats not liquid. It is strictly in line with our theory, however, t h a t lard, etc., containing a considerable percentage of unsaturated compounds, should have greater shortening power than vaseline containing practically none. On the basis of the statements in our paper i t is manifestly impossible to expect the relative shortening power of the “olein” and “stearin” fraction of a shortening to be given simply by their proportion of unsaturated glycerides, as differences in melting point, plasticity, etc., introduce other variables in such a case. The same may be said in comparing the shortening power of a fat before and after hydrogenation. Davis’ findings regarding shortening power are, therefore, not incompatible with our conclusions. WASHINGTON PLATT MERRELL-SOULE COMPANY SYRACUSE, N. Y. September 14, 1923
Calendar of Meetings Technical Association of Pulp arid Paper Industry-Appleton, Wis., October 25 to 27, 1923. Association of Official Agricultural C h e m i s t s 4 9 t h Annual Convention, Washington, D. C., November 19 to 21, 1923. Meeting, American Institute of Chemical Engineers-Winter Washington, D. C., December 5 to 8, 1923.
